A Proposed Subdivision Located South of Old Lucerne Park Road Raises Concerns About Traffic
by James Coulter
A proposed 45.5-acre subdivision located south of Old Lucerne Park Road in Winter Haven may potentially bring more homes to the area, but it could also bring more traffic and traffic problems as well. Such concerns were raised during a hearing for the ordinance that would approve the subdivision.
At their recent meeting on Monday evening, Winter Haven City Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of a final plat approval for Sunset Hills Subdivision, a proposed 45.4-acre subdivision to be located south of Old Lucerne Park Road and La Quinta Boulevard.
The single-family residential subdivision, as proposed by CW-Sunset LLC, will contain 62 building lots along with 12 common lots, which, according to the ordinance memo, will be “consisting of stormwater retention, wetland, lift station, and open spaces areas.”
The remaining infrastructure for the proposed project will be covered by a $2,351,410.08 performance bond issued by Berkley Insurance Company and submitted to the city. The subdivision is projected to generate $266,895 in ad valorem revenues per year, with the property having an estimated taxable value of $40.5 million.
However, despite the potential tax revenue and new residential units created through this proposed subdivision, some concerns were raised about traffic and traffic-related problems.
One commissioner inquired about the nearby highway, State Road 544, claiming it was a “failing road” with “capacity issues.” City Manager T. Michael Stavres mentioned that the road “had been on [their] radar for quite some time” and that the subdivision was able to get “under the concurrency level of service standards for Lucerne Park.”
Jeffery Miller, a local resident, spoke during the public hearing, inquiring whether the road would have a traffic signal installed. He mentioned that the road received a lot of traffic that would necessitate such an addition.
“Because there is a lot of traffic going on there and a lot of homes being built and a lot of businesses on that road, especially around the curbs,” he said. “[There] is so much traffic, it is just crazy especially when you come out around The Rock Church.”
